Although Coach Steve Spurrier wants Danny Wuerffel to come back, negotiations appear to have stalled between the Redskins and the quarterback, according to a source.

Wuerffel's agent, Michael R. Moye, declined to comment yesterday when reached in his Atlanta office. The Redskins also declined to comment. If Wuerffel were to come back for the veteran's minimum salary, he would be due approximately $300,000 for the team's nine remaining games.

Without Wuerffel, Patrick Ramsey's only backup is Tim Hasselbeck, who has never thrown an NFL pass and was signed by the team this week after the Redskins released Rob Johnson.

Spurrier said Thursday contract negotiations might not be the only hurdle to bringing Wuerffel back. The quarterback's wife, Jessica, is expecting a child, and he remains heavily involved with a New Orleans ministry.

Another factor could be the manner in which Wuerffel was released before the regular season.

On Aug. 3, Wuerffel accepted a one-year contract worth $530,000, the league minimum for a player with his experience. Wuerffel was told he would compete with Rob Johnson to be the No. 2 quarterback. But on Aug. 30, a few days before the season opener, Wuerffel was surprisingly released along with tailback Kenny Watson. The Redskins' personnel department, overseen by vice president Vinny Cerrato, wanted Wuerffel cut; Spurrier objected to the move.

Owner Daniel Snyder sided with Cerrato, to Spurrier's dismay. (According to a Redskins source, Snyder didn't want his coach to be tempted to rely on Wuerffel if Ramsey struggled.) The move left the Redskins with only two quarterbacks.

During the offseason, Johnson signed a two-year, $2 million deal with only a $250,000 signing bonus to back up Ramsey. But because the nine-year player is a vested veteran, the Redskins owe Johnson this year's salary of roughly $1 million, which may factor in negotiations with Wuerffel.

Wuerffel and Spurrier won a national title together at Florida in 1996, the same season Wuerffel won the Heisman Trophy.

Although Wuerffel has a weak arm, his ability to make the right decision before the snap in Spurrier's audible-heavy offense is critical. Wuerffel can also serve as a tutor to Ramsey, who is still learning the intricacies of Spurrier's system and has struggled after a fast start.

Last year, Wuerffel was expected to be the starting quarterback before struggling in the preseason. After starting the season on the bench, he ended up sharing the starting role among Ramsey and Shane Matthews. Wuerffel lost the starting job twice because of injuries. In four starts, he had three touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 63 percent of his passes (58 of 92).

If Wuerffel doesn't re-sign, the club is considering promoting rookie Gibran Hamdan to the 53-man roster. Hamdan was selected in the seventh round of this year's draft.

Hasselbeck entered the NFL in 2001 as an undrafted free agent out of Boston College.

After Wuerffel was cut, Spurrier noted his quarterback rating was 84 compared to Johnson's 48. But Spurrier never embraced Johnson and seemed to become distant toward the backup after Wuerffel's release.

Amen Terri - I personally would rather take my chances with Hamdan and Hasselbeck - I know those two have arms and Hasselbeck is one I got a chance to see three years running - didn't make many mistakes - tough kid too.

Rich in Roanoke
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